Kabul: Afghanistan is going to polls on Thursday, only the second time in its history. After becoming the country's first popularly elected president in 2004, Hamid Karzai is the leading contender in today's vote.
Security forces in Afghanistan are on high alert as the Taliban have vowed to disrupt the elections.
Some 300,000 Afghan and foreign troops will be deployed to protect the 17 million voters at nearly 7000 polling booths.
Meanwhile, insurgency continues to take its toll on civilians and national and international forces. Six American troops were killed by militants on the eve of elections.
The Afghan government has called for an international media blackout on reporting violent acts on the day of its presidential elections.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was among the first to vote on Thursday, and speaking to the media right after casting his vote, he said there's been no violence.
However, Taliban violence threat continues to overshadow the dramatic polls. The Helmand province is where the Taliban is expected to be most active. Small Hindu and Sikh communities living in the area are expected to support President Hamid Karzai.
In the Taliban heartland of Kandahar, Karzai hopes to get major support from his Pushtun homeland.
The Taliban is also expected to cause problems in the remote district of Paktia, since they can cross over easily from Pakistan.
Kabul will be the most closely watched. The Taliban are trying to send a message that they can strike anywhere. The second contender, Abdullah Abdullah was born here.
Panjshir, the home of Ahmed Shah Masood, the legendary Mujahideen fighter is expected to see strong support for Dr Abdullah.